Mara Bode
|gender=Female |height=1.65 metersD.I.T. Code Corner |mass= |hair=Black |eyes=Yellow |skin= |cyber= |era=NoHead era |affiliation=*Police *U.S. Government |masters=*Unidentified Master *Rachel Bradley |apprentices=}} Mara Bode was a female police apprentice, who survived the initial stages of the First Police Purge. She spent many years in hiding with fellow officer Rachel Bradley in the city of Tsala. After her master's death, she was corrupted by the Darkness, along with the entire city and its native population. After Bode captured Sheriff Bladepoint, she was confronted by the Gladiator's NoHead apprentice, Abalan, who defeated her in combat. Initially tempted to kill her, the apprentice ultimately spared Bode's life and allowed her to disappear into hiding once more. Biography Early life Mara Bode was found as an infant by the police, and taken into training due to her connection with mutantry. Trained by her Master on the aircraft Black Pioneer, she was distanced from the rest of the Order during the First NoHead War. First NoHead War First Police Purge Due to their isolation, Bode and her Master did not fall victim to the execution of the First Police Purge. Still, the effects of the killings were felt even in seclusion; sensing the near-simultaneous deaths of so many police, Bode's Master set out to recover evidence of their fate. Attack on Superhero School Her Master disappeared, never to be seen again, but not before he was able to warn Bode of the destruction of the police and Mr. Stupid NoHead's role in the purge. Bent on revenge, Bode set out to hunt down and destroy the Dark mutant. During her mission, she stopped by Superhero School, and was convinced to stay for a few days. Bode was on patrol on the night that NoHeads managed to invade the school, via a mutated oven in the kitchens, and fought against them in the attack on Superhero School in 1995. During the battle, Bode dueled Nolan Giles who fired beams rapidly at the young police officer in an attempt to subdue her, though he ultimately failed and was forced to retreat with his companions. Bode finally fled with the other officers, but despite Bladepoint's protests, she refused to join them. She set out to find the Imperial Palace. Life in hiding Intercepted by surviving police officer Rachel Bradley, Bode was persuaded away from the Darkness and went into hiding in the forests of Tsala with her new Master. Rachel Bradley befriended the native Tsalian tribes and continued to train Mara Bode in the police arts in Tsala for years while also hiding from the NoHeads and their Empire. Despite Bode's loyalty to Bradley, she continued to harbor much anger and resentment over the persecution of the police, a trait which Bradley tried to eliminate, to no avail. By the year 2004, both the police officer and her Tsalian shamans sensed that the young apprentice was gradually falling to the Darkness. When Abalan, the Gladiator's secret apprentice, visited the city for the first time, hunting Rachel Bradley, Bode requested the chance to confront the assassin at her Master's side; a request that Rachel Bradley denied due to her certainty that Bode would be killed by the NoHead adept. Bradley instead sent her to the Graveyard of Beasts, despite Bode's protestations that she was strong enough to stand alongside her Master. After Bradley was defeated and killed by Abalan, Bode was left without a master once more, stranded and alone in Tsala. When Abalan visited the city for a second time, in a mission to rescue Sheriff Bladepoint, he discovered Bode waiting for him. Fall to the Darkness When Bladepoint arrived on Tsala in search of Rachel Bradley, unaware of her death, hoping she would rescue his close friend, Bode had taken him captive. The loss of her mentor had plunged Bode deeper into darkness; an effect that spread throughout the city, infecting the Tsalians with the Dark side. Bode captured the Sheriff and kept him as her prisoner, planning to offer him to the Gladiator, should he ever find her, in exchange for her life. When Abalan arrived in search of Bladepoint, the fallen mutant confronted him with her pet bull. Abalan killed the bull. Luckily, he retained hold of his sword as he fell off the creature in a mess of gore, because Bode was on him in an instant. Bode initially opened with a flurry of raw attacks, though Abalan only defended himself, using Niman moves against Bode. However, he quickly came to the conclusion that if she could turn to the Darkness so easily, then she could turn back to the Light just as quickly, accepting something that Rachel Bradley had explained to him. By fighting against Mara Bode, he wasn’t turning his back on the Darkness; she was simply in his way. With this revelation, Abalan changed over to the Brosartt form, seizing the offensive. An increasingly desperate Bode began to lose concentration, and Abalan rapidly began gaining ground. As they charged one another, Bode managed to evade Abalan’s attack, hiding herself with the Dark side while throwing her dual guard trodas at Abalan. Abalan managed to dodge the blades, and Bode caught them while simultaneously leaping at him. Abalan caught her in a telekinetic grip and slammed her against the ground. She managed to evade Abalan’s attack, again concealing herself as he rammed his sword into the ground. As he looked about for her, she ran at him from behind before dropping down and sliding at his legs, throwing Abalan off his feet and disarming him. She made a scissoring strike towards him; Abalan only barely managed to recover his sword and block, driving her back and acrobatically flipping onto his feet. As he searched about for her, she again attacked him from behind, though this time he was ready, striking at her leg and knocking her to the ground. Refusing Bode the time needed to recover, Abalan telekinetically grasped her, raised her up and slammed Bode against the ground. Beaten and exhausted, Mara Bode was defeated. Abalan incapacitated her with lightning as she turned to flee. Begging for her life with the promise of redeeming herself of the Darkness' influence, she convinced Abalan to let her go. Bladepoint protested, but Abalan defended his mercy by saying that Mara Bode was not truly free; and that she would carry the memories of her actions with her forever. Personality and traits As the Empire's rule spread across the world, Mara Bode and her new Master lived a life of hiding on the distant, inhospitable Tsala. Bode herself was keen to bring the fight to the enemy, though this impulse was held back by Rachel Bradley. She was more open to giving into her baser urges and primal emotions than heeding her Master's example of calmness and patience. Despite her inclinations toward the Dark side, Bradley believed that it was due more to Bode's fear than anger. After Bradley's death, Mara Bode's sense of abandonment and betrayal at having been left alone in Tsala resulted in her immersion in the dark side, though she would later claim that this was because of the dark nature of the city itself. Her fear of death at the Gladiator's hands made her more than willing to place her own survival above all else, taking hostages and potentially trading them to the Empire in exchange for her life. Such was her fear of death that Mara Bode resorted to begging for her life at the hands of Abalan. The apprentice judged such behavior unworthy of the dark side, believing that Bode's failure to control her fear was a weakness that caused an aspiring police officer to become a coward who pleaded for mercy. Although Bode swore to renounce the darkness, Sheriff Bladepoint and Abalan both doubted her sincerity. Powers and abilities Mara Bode was born a mutant, who was helped towards realizing her potential first by her original Master and, later, Rachel Bradley. Both undertook to train her in the use of mutantry and the ways of the police. Trained on both her first Master's ship, the Black Pioneer, and on the city Tsala by Rachel Bradley, Mara Bode was not considered strong enough by Bradley to face Abalan when he arrived in the city to kill Bradley. By the time of her fall to the dark side, Bode utilized twin red guard trodas in combat. She was proficient in the use of telekinesis as well as fighting at close range using melee attacks. Bode also showed an affinity for Beast Control, befriending a gigantic bull, which was thought to be uncontrollable by the native Tsalians. In an attempt to defeat the secret apprentice in Tsala, Mara Bode utilized the ability of Mutant cloak, hiding from Abalan before launching withering attacks upon him. Behind the scenes Catalogues within the D.I.T. Code Corner were the first sources to reveal Mara's name. Her name was later confirmed by the canonical 2016 novel , the only D.I.T. book she has appeared in thus far. Quotes Rachel Bradley: The Gladiator has found us. Now, pack your belongings and go into hiding, just as we practiced. Mara: But Master, this is what I've been waiting for. Let me fight! Rachel Bradley: No. You will surely be killed. Mara, we are among the last of the police. While we live, the Order survives. I cannot allow you to be captured or killed by the Empire. Now please, go to the graveyard and wait for my summons. Mara: Straighten up, Sheriff. Sheriff Bladepoint: Why are you keeping me here, Mara? Your Master would be furious. Mara: I need something to trade should the Gladiator find me. Now shut up and eat, should you live to taste bread again! Keep quiet. Just remember, my new pet is very hungry. Bladepoint: Hurry. Rachel Bradley's apprentice has gone mad. This whole country has gone insane! Mara: Oh, we're not crazy. We've just embraced the power of the Darkness. Abalan: Stand aside, girl! I don't want to hurt you. Mara: Oh, it won't happen. He won't allow it. Mara: Okay. You win. The Sheriff's yours. There's no need to kill me now. Abalan: You are a slave to the Darkness. I'd be doing the world a favor! Mara: It's not my fault. Rachel Bradley abandoned me in this horrible city. Tsala is evil. It corrupted me. But you, you can save me. Just let me get away from here. Just let me go, and I'll turn my back on the Dark side. Appearances * * Notes and references Category:American individuals Category:Dark mutants Category:Females Category:Heroines Category:Mutants Category:Police Grand Army members Category:Police trainees Category:Reformed individuals Category:Tsalian individuals Category:Underweight individuals Category:Villains